Railway car coupler



Dec. 8, 1964 F. WILSON 3,160,286

RAILWAY CAR COUPLER Filed April 17, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR FRASER WILSON Ma a?- Dec. 8, 1964 F. WILSON RAILWAY CAR COUPLER s sheets-sheet 2 Filed April 17, 1963 IN vENTOR FRASER WILSON Dec. 8, 1964 F. WILSON RAILWAY CAR COUPLER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 17, 1965 INVENTOR FRA SE R WILSON Z JFM United States Patent Ofitice 3,166,286 Patented Dec. 8, 1964 3,160,286. RAILWAY CAR CUUPLER Fraser Wilson, 3960 Pandora St., North Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada Filed Apr. 17, 1963, Ser. No. 273,733 10 Claims. (Cl. 21375) My invention relates to a coupling device which is par ticularly intended for use on toy and model railway cars.

Many types of couplers are available for model railways and the like but most have some disadvantages due to a large extent to miniaturization of the working parts. A few of the objections raised by model railroaders to conventional couplers are that the mechanism is difiicult to engage and disengage and there is a tendency for the cars to either uncouple or derail one another, particularly when travelling around curves at high speeds.

The objects of the present invention are to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages and generally to provide a greatly improved structure which closely simulates a full scale coupler. A still further object is to provide means whereby the cars may be uncoupled automatically.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a rail-.

way car fitted with the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged plan view.

FIGURE 3 is a section taken On line 33 of 'FIG- URE 2. FIGURE 4 a detail perspective view of an uncoupling rod fitting.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged plan View of a modified coupler.

FIGURE 6 is a plan of a further modification of the coupler.

FIGURE 7 is a section taken on the line 7'7 of FIG- URE 6.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the coupler is adapted to be secured to the underside of a model railway car 10 so as to project beyond the end Wall 11 thereof. For convenience in mounting the device in this position I prefer to enclose the coupler in a casing 14 having bottom wall 15, side walls 16 provided with top flanges 17 and a single inner end wall 18. The casing 14 is preferably fastene to the car by means of bolts 20 or the like.

Supported upon the bottom wall 15 are transversely spaced pivot pins 22 and 23 which vertical pins are fitted with a draw bar 25. The draw bar consists of two adjoining members 26 and 27 and these members are provided with complementary head portions 28 and 29 respectively. The inner end of the member 26 has a longitudinally aligned slot 31 through which the pivot pin 22 projects and a spring 32 is provided in said slot normally to urge the member towards the end wall 18 of the casing. The member 27 is mounted for horizontal swinging movement on the pivot pin 23. Springs 34 and 35 respectively are suitably secured to the members 26 and 27 which springs bear against the side Walls 16 whereby to retain the draw bar in the centre of the casing 14.

The member 26 is provided with an uncoupling rod 37 which normally extends substantially parallel to the end wall 11 of the car. The downwardly turned inner end 38 of the rod pivotally received in an opening formed in the head portion 28 and the similarly turned outer end 39 of said rod is supported by a plate 46 which is secured to the car. A vertical slot 41 is provided in the plate to receive the rod and adjacent said plate the nod has a V-shaped crimp 42 which is disposed in the plane of the ends 38 and 39.

On the upper face of the member 27, near the head portion 29, a rectangular groove 44 is formed and extending freely through this groove is a second uncoupling rod .15 which is fixedly secured to the member 27 preferably as at 46. The rod 45 has a crank 47 located near the side face of the'mernber 27 and is provided with a downwardly and inwardly turned portion 48, the lower end of which is disposed above and between the rails along which the train travels. I prefer to attach to the portion 48, a short length of air hose 49 such as is shown in FIG- URE 4, so that this part closely simulates the air b'i ake connection which normally extends between railway cars. The present coupler is adapted tobe connected to a complementary coupler of an adjoining car by bumping the cars together in a normal manner. Such action causes the members 26 and 27 to swing-about their pivot pins and separate slightly, whereupon the mating head portions engage and are urged into interlocking position by their springs 34 and 35. Should the cars be disaligned the router vertical face of the groove 44 and the crank 47 engages the adjacent side of the head portion 29. The pulling force is then tnansmitted from the member 26 to the rod 45, thence to the member 27 and its pivot pin 23. It will be noted that, when the cars are being pulled along a straight stretch of track, the coupler members remain parallel to and in contact with one another and are centred in the casing 14.

If the train is travelling around a sharp curve say to the right, the member 26 swings about the pivot 22 to compress the spring 34. Since the rod 45 is still bearing hard against the face of the slot 44, and the crank 47 is locked against the head portion 29, the member 27 will also be swung about its pivot and will move with the member 26. Thus, the several coupler parts are interlocked in such a Way that the cars cannot become disconnected even when traversing the curve at high speed. At the same time there is suflicient flexibility in the coupler parts to ensure that the connected cars are not derailed.

The cars may be uncoupled manually by use of the rod 37 and, as in the case of the large prototype coupler, the cars must first be moved towards each other. This movement provides the necessary slack between the coupler parts so that when a pull is exerted on the rod 37, them'ember 26 and the member 27 of the connected coupler are moved away from their mating couplermem bers and the cars may be moved apart and disconnected.

The model train operator may want to carry out a shunting operation without the cars coupling automatically each time they are bumped together. If such is the'case, the outer end of the rod 37 is raised slightly and a pull. is exerted thereon to place the crimp 42 in contact with the outer face of the plate 49. In this manner'the member 26 is supported at a slight angle to the member 27 and in a position where automatic coupling cannot take place until the rod is again returned to normal position.

If it is desired to uncouple the cars while maneuvering the train about the yard, for example, this may be done automatically by use of a segmental block 56, see FIG- URE l. The uncoupling block consists of a fiat board or the like having a thickness slightly greater than the height of a rail and being provided with an arcuate edge which forms a cam face 51. The block 50 is adapted to be placed on the track bed in abutment with one rail and with the cam face disposed in the path of travel of the portion 48 of the uncoupling rod 45. Preferably,

provided.

As the train is drawn past the block 50 the rod face 51 and side thrust is exerted on the rod 45 which 1 seen that the block does not-interfere with the normal operation of the train but will permit selected cars to be uncoupled by appropriate -rnovement of the entire train, rather than by'manual operation of the rods 37.

The modified coupler of FIGURE 5 is intended for use on very. small scale model cars and in this instance the draw bar is made up of members 26A and 27A. The pivot pin 22 projects through a short slot 55 so that the modified member has limited endwise movement. A straight uncoupling rod 56 is carried by the member 26A and this rod has a downwardly turned end portion 57. 'The head portion 28A is provided with a hook 58 which is adapted to engage the complementary hook of the mating coupler member.

Since the The modified device is coupled and uncoupled in the 7 previously described manner and when a pull is exerted the member 26A also moves forward so that the rod 56 engages the outer face of the groove 44. On a curve to the right, the rod 56 swings the .member 27A about its pivot although a slight separation'of the members may take place. However, the hook 558 ensures that the coupler does not become disconnected on the curve or at any other time except when the required slack is In the'modification shown in FIGURES 6 and 7 the railway car coupler is provided with a draw oar 6t which is made up of members 61 and 62. A Each memher is mounted upon a pivot pin 64 which projects through a slot 65. Springs 66 are interposed between the pivot pins and the-ends of the slots. A recess 67 is formed in the side of each draw bar member and pivotally secured within said recess is the inner end of an arm 69 which carries a roller 70 at its outer end. The rollers are urged into contact with the side walls 16 of the casing by means of springs '71.

The member 61 has an enlarged head portion having a solid rather than a hinged knuckle 75. The uncoupling rod 37 is pivotally connected to this head portion as before. Near the head portion 74, themember 61 is provided with an integrally formed tongue 76 which projects horizontally beyond the side of said member. The tongue is fiat andrectangular in crosssection and its sides 77 are parallel'for a greater part of its length and are then tapered to fiare outwardly v as at 78. As shown in FIGURE 6, the upper face of the member 62 is provided with a groove 89 into which the tongue '76 extends and the opposing sides of this groove are shaped as at 81 and 82 to conform to the adjoining sides of the tongue.

As the model railway cars fitted with this modification of the coupler are either pushed or pulled along the track, the member 61 is moved relativeto the member '62 so that the tongue '76 is locked against a side of the groove 80. In this position the two draw bar mem-' bers are interconnected in such a way that they function as a single unit aslong as this pushing or pulling force is exerted. When this force is removed the members are returned by their springs 66, to the positions shown in FIGURE 6 whereupon the cars maybe uncoupled.

by use of the bar 37 as before. As in the preferred embodiment the cars fitted with this modification are capable of negotiating curves without danger of becoming uncoupled or derailed and in this instance a particularly ber away from the second member.

2. A coupler as claimed in claim 1, and spring means urging the first member towards the railway car.

3. The combination of a coupler for a railway car comprising'a draw bar formed of a'first member and a second member, a pair or" vertically disposed pivot pins connecting the inner ends of the members to the underside of the car, said first member having a longitudinally extending slot through whichone of saidpair of pivot pins extends, spring means normally retaining the members in contact with one another, said second member having a transverse opening, a rod secured to the first member and extending through the transverse opening and means adapted to be engaged by the rod whereby to swing the first member about its pivot pin.

4 A coupler as claimed in claim 3, wherein the opening inthe second member will permit limited cndwise movement of the first member.

5. A coupler as claimed in claim 4; wherein the opening in the second member is a rectangular groove formed on the upper face of said member.

6. The combination ot a coupler for a railway car comprising a draw bar formed or a first member and a second member, a pair of pivot pins connecting the inner end of each member to'the car forswinging movement in a horizontal plane, said first member having a slot through which one of said pair of pivot pins extends, spring means normally retaining the members in contact with one another and longitudinally aligned with the car, said second member having a transverse opening, a rod secured to the first member and extending through the transverse opening, said rod having a free end portion and a'cam member adapted to be placed in the path of the portion whereby to swing the first member away from thesecond member.

- 7. The combination as claimed in claim 6, and a manually operable uncoupling rod connected to the first member and having an outer end accessible from a side of the railway car.

8. The combination as claimed in claim 7, and means for locking the uncoupling rod against endwisemovement in one direction.

9. The combination as claimed in claim 6, wherein the rod has a crank adapted to engage a part of the second member., 7

, 10. The combination of a-coupler for a railway car "comprising draw bar formed of'a first member and a second member, said members each having a slot, a pair of pivot pins projecting into the slots to connect the members to the car for swinging movement in a hori- Zontal plane, resilient means limiting endwise movement of the members relative to said pair of pivot pins, means normally supporting said members in contact with one another and longitudinally aligned with the car, said second member having-a transverse opening, a tongue on said first member extending into the tra'nsverseopening and having limited movement longitudinally thereof, said openingand tongue having abutting parts adapted to engage and support said members against movement away from each other.

Auel Apr. 1, 1941 Watson 'Mar. 17, 1953 

1. A COUPLER FOR A RAILWAY CAR COMPRISING A DRAW BAR FORMED OF A FIRST MEMBER AND A SECOND MEMBER, A PAIR OF VERTICALLY DISPOSED PIVOT PINS CONNECTING THE INNER ENDS OF THE MEMBERS TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CAR, SAID FIRST MEMBER HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SLOT THROUGH WHICH ONE OF SAID PAIR OF PIVOT PINS EXTENDS, SPRING MEANS NORMALLY RETAINING THE MEMBERS IN CONTACT WITH ONE ANOTHER AND MEANS FOR SWINGING THE FIRST MEMBER AWAY FROM THE SECOND MEMBER. 